- a children’s book writer…
- a poet…
$5.00
Seriously? A children’s book about turtles is philosophical? Oh yes it is! Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), was not just a writer of children’s books, but a profound philosopher, a poet, a political advocate (sometimes controversial), and a promoter of critical thinking on all levels.
Academic language is so important that experts assert that the warehouse of words a person has stored away is directly connected to their quality of thinking: higher quality of words equals higher quality of thinking.** In this age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the quality of thinking our students reach in our classes, will be the difference between being qualified for jobs that technology is (still) not capable of performing, and watching the world from the sidelines.
This applies even to our youngest learners. We can help them to assimilate academic language even before they begin to read. If we verbalise  first-, second- and third-tier words,*** through dynamic activities, we are helping them to become familiar with academic language that will serve them for the rest of their academic and professional lives.
Academic language is so important that experts assert that the warehouse of words a person has stored away is directly connected to their quality of thinking: higher quality of words equals higher quality of thinking.** In this age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the quality of thinking our students reach in our classes, will be the difference between being qualified for jobs that technology is (still) not capable of performing, and watching the world from the sidelines.
This applies even to our youngest learners. We can help them to assimilate academic language even before they begin to read. If we verbalise  first-, second- and third-tier words,*** through dynamic activities, we are helping them to become familiar with academic language that will serve them for the rest of their academic and professional lives.
Adding humour to a lesson is always a recipe for success. Humour changes the dynamic of the class and helps students to see their lessons with a different frame of mind. This scaffold uses irony – the highest form of humour – to help make potentially dry material more inviting and accessible.
The use of humour is engrained in our cultural perspectives. Edward T. Hall, one of the pioneers of cultural studies for the purpose of preparing us for and appreciating the differences in peoples across the globe, elucidates the varying uses of humour in different environments. American humour, for instance, is binary and is either present or absent. In the Far East, on the other hand, one encounters a wide spectrum of subtle degrees of humour that are commonly present.*
Adding humour to a lesson is always a recipe for success. Humour changes the dynamic of the class and helps students to see their lessons with a different frame of mind. This scaffold uses irony – the highest form of humour – to help make potentially dry material more inviting and accessible.
The use of humour is engrained in our cultural perspectives. Edward T. Hall, one of the pioneers of cultural studies for the purpose of preparing us for and appreciating the differences in peoples across the globe, elucidates the varying uses of humour in different environments. American humour, for instance, is binary and is either present or absent. In the Far East, on the other hand, one encounters a wide spectrum of subtle degrees of humour that are commonly present.*
This scaffold gives students the opportunity to interact with material through linguistics and visuals. As in the best-planned activities, we also include specific language outcomes. Too often we focus only on content, but being specific about the language structure, grammar and clarity of meaning ahead of time, students feel more supported and are therefore more able to confidently participate. The examples used in this activity come from a Natural Science class on energy. You’ll see how easy it is to adapt it to your lesson.
This scaffold gives students the opportunity to interact with material through linguistics and visuals. As in the best-planned activities, we also include specific language outcomes. Too often we focus only on content, but being specific about the language structure, grammar and clarity of meaning ahead of time, students feel more supported and are therefore more able to confidently participate. The examples used in this activity come from a Natural Science class on energy. You’ll see how easy it is to adapt it to your lesson.
Sequencing is a concept that needs to be repeated throughout the education process. We need to intentionally give our students the opportunities to be able to recognise and express sequences, and we need to provide the phrases they can use to clarify the ordering of events. It might be motivating to know that studies show that students are able to recall information more accurately if they´ve been schooled in sequencing.
The art of ordering is a skill that requires critical thinking as it obligates the students to see both sides of an issue, be open to new evidence, and deduce and infer conclusions from available facts.* Inferential reasoning enables students to construct new knowledge by considering, connecting past knowledge to new. If we want to delve into the biology of the skill, you might be interested to know that the dynamic activates the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for retaining short-term, long-term and spatial memory. So, the more we give students the opportunity to develop this part of the brain, the more we are aiding them in strengthening neuron connections.
Sequencing is a concept that needs to be repeated throughout the education process. We need to intentionally give our students the opportunities to be able to recognise and express sequences, and we need to provide the phrases they can use to clarify the ordering of events. It might be motivating to know that studies show that students are able to recall information more accurately if they´ve been schooled in sequencing.
The art of ordering is a skill that requires critical thinking as it obligates the students to see both sides of an issue, be open to new evidence, and deduce and infer conclusions from available facts.* Inferential reasoning enables students to construct new knowledge by considering, connecting past knowledge to new. If we want to delve into the biology of the skill, you might be interested to know that the dynamic activates the hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for retaining short-term, long-term and spatial memory. So, the more we give students the opportunity to develop this part of the brain, the more we are aiding them in strengthening neuron connections.